Trunk latch



Aug. l1, 1925. 1,549,507

A. A. Raj-TER TRUNK LATCH Filed oct. 51 192s A TORNEYSL Patented Ang. l1, i925.

ALOIS PANY, OF RACINE, WISCGNSN', A CORORATION 0F W'ISCONSIN.

TRUNK LATCH.

Application iiled October 31, 1923.

i. 1o @ZZ wlw/m t may conc-ern.'

Be it known that l, ALors A. RITTER, a citizen ot the United States, and resident of Racine, in the county ot Racine and State ot Vtisconsin, have inventedL new and useliul improvements in Trunk Latches, ot which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specilication.

This invention relates to improvements in trunk latches more particularly adapted for locking the sections ot a wardrobe trunk together.

lt is one oi the objects ot the present 1nvention to provide a trunk latch which is adapted to automatically unlock the sections ot a wardrobe trunk when the top cover is swung to open position.

A further object oil the invention is to provide a trunk latch in which the movement of the top cover towards closed position will automatically draw the trunk sections into intimate engagement with each other.

A Yfurther object ot the invention is to pro vide a trunk latch which is of simple con struction is strong and durable and is well adapted lor the purpose described.

llVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved trunk latch and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

ln the accompanying` drawing in which the same reiter-ence characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a trunk in open position and provided with the improved latch; i

2 is a view of the inner side of the latch on a larger scale, parts being broken away to show interior constructions;

Fig. 3 is an edge view thereof; and

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view taken on line lf-l of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing the numeral S indicates the drawer section, 9 the wardrobe section and 10 the top cover which is hinged to the open top of the wardrobe section for closing said top. The two sections are hinged together and adapted to swing horizontally to open position while the top cover swings upwardly. The two sections are locked together by the improved automatic latch 11 while the top cover ot the wardrobe SerialI No. 671,952.

section is locked to the drawer section by a keyed lock 12 in the ordinary manner.

The improved latch 11 is adapted to fit within a recess 13 cut out of the side portion ot' the wardrobe section 19 and its casing 11 formed with side flanges 14 which are secured to the wall ot the trunk section by rivets or screws 15. rlhe drawer section 8 is provided with an escutcheon plate 16 set into the wall of said section and secured by rivets l? in the same manner the latch is fastened to the drawer section. Said escutcheon plate is torined with a keeper lug member 1S extending` transversely across an elongated slot 19 formed in the edge portion ot said plate.

The latch 11 is of rectangular form and is provided with right angularly extending flanges 2O which 'torni the top and bottom portions ot the latch casing and serve as guides for a reciprocal member 21 positioned therebetween. Said reciprocal member is Jiormed with curved recesses 22 tor pivot-ally receiving the inner rounded ends 23 of locking dogs or keepers 24 which' are also slidably positioned within the latch casing. The locking dogs or keepers 24e extend through elongated slots 25 formed in the outer edge portion of the latch casing and the outer end portions oit said dogs are i'ormed with angular locking shoulders 26 which lockingly` engage the keeper lug member 18 ot the escutcheon plate. rIhe upper edge of the upper dog and the lower edge ot the lower dog are `formed with cam shoulders 27 which coact with the upper and lower edges of the asing slot to cause said dogs to swing towards each other and engage the lug member 18 at the iirst part of the inward movement of said dogs into the lock casing. When thus engaged the further inward movement will draw the two trunk sections closely together. The inner edge portions ot the dogs are also provided with cam portions 28 which engage a casing lug 29 to cause the dogs to swing apart when' moved outwardly and to hold said dogs in spaced apart position while in their outer position.

The inner edge portion of the reciprocal member 21 is formed with horizontally tending rack teeth 30 which are engaged by the segmental teeth 31 on the inner end of the actuating lever 32. Said actuating lever is pivotally mounted on a transverse pin 33 and the outer end of said lever is provided with a pin 34e which entends through a segmental opening 35 termed in the inner wall of the lock casing. A latch operating rod 36 slidably positioned on the inner side ot the wardrobe section wall adjacent the latch is connected at its lower end portion to sait lever pin 84 and extended upwardly therefrom. rlhe lower portion or" the rod is guided in a bracket 37 and a slotted portion 38 orn the lock casing ll', while the upper portion of the rod is of rounded formation and entends through a tubular bracket 39 positioned near the upper end portion et the trunk section. A coiled spring at) within the tubular bracket surrounds the rod and is interposed between the lower end of the bracket and a collar Lil mounted iast on tne rod to normally hold the rod in its upper position and the locking dogs in their o ien position when the top cover ot the trunk section is in open position. The upper end of the rod is provided with a knob or enlargement 42 which is adapted to be engaged by a plate i3 mounted on the inner side et the top cover 10 when the said top cover is moved to closed position.

ln locking the trunk the two sections are first swung horizontally together so that the dogs will be in position to engage the lug member of the escutcheon plate and the top cover is then swung downwardly to closed position and in moving to closed position the rod will be pushed downwardly and will cause the dogs to lirst move towards each other and into locking engagement with the lug member and draw the said member and trunk sections into intimate contact and lock the same. rlhe hasp member ci the top cover is then swung to locked position. To open the trunk the operations are reversed and when the top cover is swung upwardly the spring surrounding the rod will torce it upwardly and the dogs outwardly, and the movement of the dogs will exert a tendency to separate the two trunk sections so that they may be easily swung to open position.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the trunk latch is oi very simple construction and is well adapted for the purpose described.

TWhat l claim as my invention is:

l. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections and a hinged top cover for one of the sections, o1 a means for locking the two sections together, comprising an escutcheon member on one of the sections, a latch carried by the other section and having locking dogs which lockingly engage the escutcheon members, a reciprocal member 'for moving the locking dogs, a lever having a toothed engagement with the reciprocal member, and a rod connected to the lever and yieldingly extending upwardly to a position to be engaged by the top cover when said cover is swung to closed position, said closing movement ot the cover moving the locking dogs to locked position.

2. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections and a hinget top cover' for one of the sections, o a means for locking the two sections together, comprising an escutcheon member mounted on one oi' the sections provided with a lug, a latch carried by the other section and having 7i locking dogs which lockingly engage the escutcheon lug, a toothed, reciprocal member to which the locking dogs are pivotally connected and which moves the dogs into locking engagement with the lug, a lever having a toothed engagement with the reciprocal member lor moving the same, a rod Iconnected to the lever and ent-ending upwardly to a position to be engaged by the top cover when said cover is swunol to closed position, said closing movement or the cover moving the locking dogs to locked position, and a spring for moving the rod and the dogs to unlocked position when the top cover is swung to open position.

3. The combination with a trunk having two hinged together sections and a hinged top cover for one oi' the sections, or" a means tor locking the two sections together, comprising an escutcheon member mounted on one ot' the sect-ions provided with a lug, a latch carried by the other section and having locking dogs which lockingly engage the escutcheon lug, a toothed, reciprocal y member to which the locking dogs are pivot- 1U ally connected and which moves the dogs into locking engagement with the lug, a lever pivoted to the lock and having segmental teeth in mesh with the toothed reciprocal member for moving the same, a roel connected to the lever and extending upwardly to a position to be engaged by the top cover when said cover is swung to closed position, said closing movement of the cover moving the locking dogs to locked position, and a spring .for moving the rod and the dogs to unlocked position when the top cover is swung to open position.

1l. The combination with a trunk having H5 a wardrobe section and a drawer section hinged thereto, the wardrobe section having an open top and a hinged top cover, of a means for locking the two sections together, comprising an escutcheon member mounted on the drawer section and having a transverse lug, a latch casing carried by the other section and having outwardly projecting locking dogs which lockingly engage the escutcheon lug, the inner ends of said dogs being rounded, a toothed reciprocal member positioned in the casing and having curved edge recesses into which the rounded ends of the locking dogs pivotally extend, a lever pivotally positioned Within the casing and having a segmental gear in mesh with the teeth of the reciprocal member for moving the same, said casing having an opening and the leverI having a pin extending through said opening, a rod pivoted to said pin and extending slidably upwardly therefrom to a position to be engaged by the top cover when said cover is swung to closed position, and a spring connected to the rod and to the wardrobe section for moving the rod upwardly and the locking dogs to open position.

5. The combination with a trunk having a wardrobe section and a drawer section hinged thereto, the wardrobe section having an open top and a hinged top cover, of a means lor locking the two sections together, comprising an escutcheon member mounted 0n the drawer section and having a transverse lug, a latch casing carried by the other section and v,having outwardly projecting locking dogs which lockingly engage the escutcheon lug, the inner ends of said dogs being rounded, a toothed reciprocal member positioned in the casing and having curved edge recesses into which the rounded ends ofthe locking dogs pivotally extend, a lever pivotally positioned within the casing and having a segment-al gear in mesh with the teeth of the reciprocal member for moving the same, said casing having a segmental opening in its inner side and the lever having a pin which extends through said opening, a reciprocal rod mounted on the inner side of the wardrobe section and pivotally connected at its lower end portion to the lever pin, the upper end of the rod being positioned to be engaged by the top cover in swinging to closed position, and a coiled spring surrounding the rod for yieldingly holding the rod in its upper position.

6. A trunk latch, comprising a casing having side flanges and a side opening, locking dogs slidably positioned in the casing and having shouldered outer ends and rounded inner ends, intermediate portions of the dogs having cams which coact with the casing to swing the dogs away from each other, a reciprocal member positioned in the casing and having rounded recesses in its forward edge for receiving the rounded inner ends of the dogs, a rear edge portion of the said reciprocal member being provided with teeth, and a lever mounted in the casing and having segmental teeth in mesh with the teeth of the reciprocal member and also having a portion which extends through the side opening of the casing.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature.

ALOIS A. RITTER. 

